SafeCyclist - A Safe Routes to School Education Component

The SafeCyclist Curriculum is a comprehensive bicycle and pedestrian safety education curriculum designed for fourth and fifth grade elementary students.

The SafeCyclist Curriculum (formerly Texas SuperCyclist) represents fifteen years of dedicated multi-organization support, work, research, and training. In 2010, the SafeCyclist Curriculum was developed in response to numerous requests from other states for a version that could be adopted by any state. The curriculum also includes new games and fun activities developed from the experiences of field instructors and educators who used the original Texas SuperCyclist Curriculum in past years.

This 15 lesson curriculum serves as the critical “Education Component” of a well-rounded Safe Routes to School Program. The lessons focus on rules of the road, safe cycling skills, strength building and stretching using fun physical exercises that are at least 15 minutes in length (as recommended by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education’s Physical Activity Guidelines). These activities aid physical education teachers and coaches in integrating bicycle safety education into their own state’s Physical Education objectives.

The curriculum also includes five lesson plans which help students develop the skills necessary to evaluate their school and neighborhood bicycling and walking routes. The students can be very influential in the “Evaluation Component” of their Safe Routes to School Program by having the tools to provide their perspective of their journey to school.

The SafeCyclist Curriculum can serve in all subjects of a child's education. The Cycling Across the Curriculum section of each lesson enables math, science, English and art teachers to introduce bicycle education into a broad spectrum of studies through fun, educational activities.

Also included in the curriculum are SafeCyclist Curriculum Master Pages in both English and Spanish, which, once copied and distributed as handouts, allow teachers to share important life-saving information with students, their parents, and the general public. The information on the Master Pages includes topics such as: proper bike and helmet fit, share the road guidelines, a bicycle safety inspection checklist, how to repair a flat tire and how to fit a helmet.

Ongoing exposure to the safety information within the activities helps students remember to ride and walk safely which enables them to fully experience the joy of active transportation.